Manufacturers have had a growing interest in the manufacture of microfluidic systems which are used for performing chemical and biological studies. Microfluidic systems are popular since they allow complicated chemical and biological reactions to be carried out while using very small volumes of fluid. The typical microfluidic system has many different components such as, for example, reaction chambers, mixers, and detectors that communicate fluidically via interconnects or microchannels. The typical microfluidic system also has components integrated therein like heaters, actuators and valves which are used for heating, pumping and directing the fluid samples.
Microfluidic systems implement microfluidic technology which involves the miniaturization and integration of complex systems that provide several benefits like reducing the consumption of expensive reagents, reducing reaction time, shortening temperature cycling times, enhancing mixing, and precisely manipulating small volumes of fluid. Microfluidic technology has made it possible to automate macro-scale, bench-top laboratory protocols and encapsulate them into low-cost, portable microfluidic systems.
However, today to develop a highly functional microfluidic system, significant time and expertise are required to optimize the individual components and then optimize their integration to design the microfluidic system. For instance, one component may be optimized and perform well by itself but its performance may suffer once it has been integrated with other components due to poor integration or due to a change in the operating conditions. Plus, a slight modification to the microfluidic system frequently requires rebuilding the entire system, which results in long development times and incurs substantial costs.
Thus, it would be highly desirable to have a fast turn around time and low cost tool that allows for rapid customization of components to build a functional microfluidic system. This need and other needs have been satisfied by the “plug-n-play” modular microfluidic system and the method for building the “plug-n-play” modular microfluidic system of the present invention.